[Intrathoracic transplantation of musculocutaneous flap for chronic empyema]

We have used the musculocutaneous (MC) flap to treat 4 patients with chronic empyema secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis. Subjects were 4 male patients aged 72.8 in average. The period of illness was 10 months at the shortest and 15 years at the longest. All of the patients had been introduced to our department after open drainage thoracostomy. Two patients had been performed intrathoracic transplantation of the pedicled omentum flaps, however infection had been recurred and one patient had been carried out abdominal surgery, thus in whom the omentum flap couldn't be used. Intrathoracic transplantation of two latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps and two rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps were carried out. After the radical operations, their refractory infected empyemas were completely healed. The MC flap was shown to be useful as a radical operation for severe chronic empyema, especially for the case in which the omentum flap can't be used.